Cricket: Raval makes his point with serene century

Jeet Raval. Photo / Getty Images

Jeet Raval finished last season with an even 100 against Central Districts at Napier, so was probably surprised to see his name left off the team-sheet when the 2011-12 Plunket Shield spluttered into life.

Yesterday, he happily went about making a mockery of his exclusion from Auckland's opening two rounds with a cultured 120 not out, his fourth century at this level.

The Gujarati-born opener can look a bit awkward early - many tall left-handers do - but once established bats with the serenity of those blessed with time.

His century partnership with Bradley Cachopa (63 not out) was an exercise in perseverance. They finished the day at 240-3, 127 behind CD's first innings of 367.

Cachopa will start the day in search of his maiden first-class century. The 23-year-old looked all at sea against the pace of Adam Milne to begin with, but once Mathew Sinclair had dropped him on 21 he dug in for the long haul.

The few onlookers who watched Cachopa plug away admirably may have been reminded of his brother Carl, who was picked for Auckland based on his age-group promise and then melted away as he struggled to gain a foothold at first-class level.

He went to South Australia before returning to New Zealand, where he has reinvented himself as a medium-pace bowling allrounder at CD.

He picked up the first two Auckland wickets - Tim McIntosh (15) and Andrew de Boorder (21) - and his "backyard" battle with Bradley was intriguing. Chalk this one up as a points decision to Cachopa the younger.

It wasn't always pretty, but Auckland now have a chance to post a handy first-innings lead and leave CD chasing the game.

Auckland's other alternative is to declare as soon as the 110-over bonus-point window closes in the expectation it will set up a last-day chase. With the wicket flat and the game not particularly well advanced, that would give CD and their tepid bowling attack the chance to get right back into the match without earning that right.

Earlier, Kieran Noema-Barnett nursed the CD tail in the morning to post a deserved maiden first-class century. A feared short-form player who has under-achieved in first-class cricket, CD will hope the maturity he showed in this knock will provide a springboard for further four-day success.

He eventually fell to Michael Bates, giving the left-armer four wickets - a decent return on a pitch that harboured no demons.

At the Basin Reserve, South African-born Neil Wagner gave another demonstration of what he could add to the New Zealand side when he qualifies in April.

He claimed seven wickets in Wellington's first innings of 312, his sixth haul of five or more wickets for Otago, and followed it up with an innings of 66 not out in the Volts' innings of 242.

In Hamilton, Canterbury couldn't deliver a decisive blow and saw Northern Districts ease into control. Starting the day at 97-4 in reply to Northern's 169, they were skittled for 151 with only Tom Latham (47) putting up any resistance.

Brent Arnel picked up 5-43 for the competition leaders and then enjoyed watching his top order put Northern in a solid position at 234-2 by the end of the day's play, with James Marshall on 83 and twin Hamish on 55.